What is PTA?
To make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. What does PTA look like at Mills? Our PTA at Mills works to foster collaboration among parents, teachers, and staff so that we can create a vibrant, successful learning community for our children. 

At Mills, the PTA sponsors fun, community building events such as festivals, a Valentine’s Day Dance, family movie nights, landscaping projects around the school grounds, and spirit nights at local restaurants, among others. Some of these events are fundraisers, and the PTA uses the money to support projects that benefit all students at Mills. The PTA also firmly believes that Mills’ teachers and staff are the school’s greatest asset, and so we focus a lot of effort on making sure teachers (and other staff!) are supported and appreciated. The PTA also tries to serve the larger Austin community through various service projects, particularly around the winter holidays. The PTA at Mills is a group of volunteers that works to improve the quality of education of all of the students at Mills and builds a community of families and staff who support one another with the primary goal of educating our children. 

What does it mean to be a PTA member at Mills?
The PTA membership can be whatever you decide to make of it. For some families, PTA membership is strictly the act of signing up and paying the membership dues. (And, that is so much, absolutely okay!) Soon after you join, you’ll receive a membership card, and with that card, you can receive some delightful discounts. (For more info, see https://www.txpta.org/member-perks.) Many PTA members, however, are amazing volunteers for the school. Depending on your time availability and your talents, we can find a volunteer position that fits your needs. For example:

1. Dirt Club: We can always use landscaping volunteers for our Dirt Club. The Dirt Club does an amazing job maintaining and adding beauty to our school grounds.
2. Murals: If there are any artists out there, we have a few walls inside school that need some painted murals. Keep your eyes open for more info about design details! (Okay, this one, you will have to go inside the school, but when students aren’t there!)
3. Financial Reconciliations: Though it may not seem nearly as exciting as pulling weeds or painting walls, we always need a committee of people to do our bank reconciliations and audits. If you have a mind for detail and are willing to help, let me know!
4. Donation Gathering: Do you love soliciting donations from businesses? If so, there will be events that need door prizes or silent auction items in the future!

There will be many volunteer opportunities that come up as the school year continues. Check back regularly for any open positions, or email president@millspta.org.